Sia Soliola contract: Canberra Raiders veteran wants to play on
The Canberra Raiders are in the midst of a re-signing spree, having locked down Jack Wighton, but veteran Sia Soliola has made a stunning call on his future.
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Before Google, there was Craig Fitzgibbon.
Not only one of the most respected and likeable players of his generation, the now Sydney Roosters assistant coach was also one of the toughest and most knowledgeable of his era when it came to understanding the value of preparation.
And 16 years after first teaming up with Fitzgibbon at the Roosters in 2005, Sia Soliola attributes lessons he learned from his former mentor as a big part of the reason he can still play on for at least two more seasons.
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Off contract at the end of this year, Canberra’s inspirational warrior says he is determined to show this season shouldn’t be his last.
The 33-year-old father of three says he and his family have fallen in love with the Canberra Raiders under Ricky Stuart since returning to the NRL in 2015 after winning a premiership with St Helens in the Super League.
And Soliola says just being part of a football club that means so much to the local community is something that also inspires him to play on.
But to get there, he understands it will be his performances on the field that decide if he gets another contract.
“Realistically I could give myself a couple of more years,” Soliola said.
“Beyond that I am not too sure.
“Like anything you’d like to think you could get it sorted out as soon as possible.
“But at the same time I am pretty realistic about how the process works.
“And I know if I am playing the footy Rick wants from me then things just seem to fall into place.”
Stuart was Soliola’s first coach at the Roosters and he credits Stuart “for really teaching me the aspect of mental toughness and what it takes to be a consistent first grader”.
But while Soliola is today regarded as one of the game’s most admired figures for the way he conducts himself on and off the field, it was lessons learned from Fitzgibbon that became the cornerstone for his own longevity.
“Before we had Google in the palm of our hand, Fitzy was the one who was researching and getting a lot of information in regards to nutrition and training techniques,” Soliola explained.
“And he really looked after the younger blokes and helped us in respect of diet and training.
“With the level of influence that sports science and technology have had on sport, it has really helped longevity.
“You can see it with a guy like Paul Gallen finishing off his career at 38.
“Back when I first started you wouldn’t have seen it.
“Now you get a lot of players playing until their mid 30s.”
Like all the Raiders players, Soliola concedes the heartbreak of losing last year’s grand final will be the major motivation this year.
But he concedes it is also a challenge for Canberra not to fall into the same trap that they did in 2017, when missing the finals after finishing the previous year in second spot.
“That is the beauty of having that experience,” he said.
“We knew what it felt like to be favourites and have that expectation and not fulfil it.
“That is always in the back of my mind. We can’t leave it to chance.
“We know how to handle ourselves as underdogs, but when we are expected to do things, the question is whether we can handle it. That is the big focus and the challenge for us.”
Triple treat: Raiders spend $7.7m to retain trio
By Dean Ritchie
Just a week after retaining Jack Wighton, Canberra is now readying to nail down star outside backs Jarrod Croker and Nick Cotric to long-term deals worth a combined $4.5m.
Raiders CEO Don Furner has opened negotiations with both players and their managers with talks progressing at a steady pace.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal Canberra hope to be in a position to announce Croker’s retention as early as next week, Cotric shortly after.
Including Wighton’s recent retention, the three deals are worth about $7.7 million.
Contract details haven’t yet been finalised but Croker would seek a deal up to four seasons — the final year may be incentive based — with Cotric yet to determine whether he would want a deal spanning two, three or four years.
Croker is worth around $600,000 a season, Cotric about $500,000 a year. Paul Sutton, Croker’s manager, said a deal with Canberra was “pretty close.”
There have been expressions of interest from rival clubs for Croker, 29, and Cotric, 21, but the pair wants to stay with Canberra, both players having enormous respect for coach Ricky Stuart.
Croker and Cotric are off contract after this season and are now free agents.
The Daily Telegraph understands Sutton and Cotric’s agent, Sam Ayoub, will travel to Canberra to step-up contract negotiations.
“It’s our aim to have both players — who have been terrific for us — re-signed before season kick-off so their futures are settled,” said Raiders CEO Don Furner.
Croker as played 257 NRL games for Canberra, scoring 127 tries. Last year he scored 228 points for the season.
“Jarrod wants to stay and finish his career there,” Sutton said. “We will try and get a deal to see that out.
“I will probably go down to Canberra next week or the week after to see Don Furner. I don’t think it’s too far away. It’s pretty close.”
Cotric has scored 32 tries in his 70 NRL matches. He averaged 94 run metres a game last season and completed 71 tackle busts.
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“Don has called me but I haven’t had a meeting with the Raiders yet about Nick,” Ayoub said. “The Raiders have made contract and we plan to meet up in the next couple of weeks to get the ball rolling.
“As you expect there have been expressions of interest elsewhere from clubs who would like to know whether Nick would consider leaving Canberra.
“But, at this stage, his preference, and ours, is to remain with his junior club, the Raiders, where things are going well.
“People forget he is still only 21. He is a quality kid. At this stage, we haven’t given any thought to the term of the contract.”
Wighton last week signed a contract extension at Canberra until the end of 2024. The deal was worth around $3m.
“To be here as one of the main players of the club, trying to help it grow and thrive, it’s very special to me and it’s something I take with a lot of responsibility now that I’ve been here so long,” Wighton said.
Canberra’s, last season’s runners-up, play Gold Coast in round one at GIO Stadium on March 13.
Originally published as Sia Soliola contract: Canberra Raiders veteran wants to play on